Bug#512803: gnome-terminal doesnt start as root with su or gksu

[Fabrice Gautier]

Subject: gnome-terminal doesnt start as root with su or gksu
Package: gnome-terminal
Version: 2.22.3-3
Severity: normal

When started using su or gksu, gnome-terminal still start a terminal as
user, not root.
As such, the default Gnome menu entry "Root terminal" (which uses gksu) does
not work.

To reproduce, from an existing terminal:

$ gksu gnome-terminal

or

$ su -c gnome-terminal


It works fine with sudo or gksudo. xterm starts fine (as root) with su or
gksu.

It seems to have something to do with session management.

Compare the ouputs when launching xterm and gnome-terminal:

***

$ su -c gnome-terminal
Password:

(gnome-terminal:14343): GnomeUI-WARNING **: While connecting to session
manager:
Authentication Rejected, reason : None of the authentication protocols
specified are supported and host-based authentication failed.


$ su -c xterm
Password:
Warning: Tried to connect to session manager, Authentication Rejected,
reason : None of the authentication protocols specified are supported and
host-based authentication failed

***


It looks like the same problem happens, but xterm treats it as a warning
rather than error.

Also note that when gnome-terminal fail this way, the "su" command will
return, and another user terminal will be launched. Whereas if using sudo
the "sudo" command will not return until the newly launched terminal is
closed.



-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.26-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages gnome-terminal depends on:
ii  gnome-terminal-data        2.22.3-3      Data files for the GNOME
terminal
ii  libatk1.0-0                1.22.0-1      The ATK accessibility toolkit
ii  libbonobo2-0               2.22.0-1      Bonobo CORBA interfaces library
ii  libc6                      2.7-16        GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii  libgconf2-4                2.22.0-1      GNOME configuration database
syste
ii  libglade2-0                1:2.6.3-1     library to load .glade files at
ru
ii  libglib2.0-0               2.16.6-1      The GLib library of C routines
ii  libgnome2-0                2.20.1.1-2    The GNOME 2 library - runtime
file
ii  libgnomeui-0               2.20.1.1-2    The GNOME 2 libraries (User
Interf
ii  libgtk2.0-0                2.12.11-4     The GTK+ graphical user
interface
ii  liborbit2                  1:2.14.16-0.1 libraries for ORBit2 - a CORBA
ORB
ii  libpango1.0-0              1.20.5-3      Layout and rendering of
internatio
ii  libstartup-notification0   0.9-1         library for program launch
feedbac
ii  libvte9                    1:0.16.14-4   Terminal emulator widget for
GTK+
ii  libx11-6                   2:1.1.5-2     X11 client-side library
ii  libxrender1                1:0.9.4-2     X Rendering Extension client
libra
ii  scrollkeeper               0.3.14-16     A free electronic cataloging
syste

Versions of packages gnome-terminal recommends:
ii  yelp                          2.22.1-8   Help browser for GNOME 2

gnome-terminal suggests no packages.

-- no debconf information
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